Oil sands wildlife underpass supports heavy loads

Oil sands wildlife underpass supports heavy loads

With demonstrated experience in wildlife crossings and mine site infrastructure, AIL was a natural selection to design and supply a Super•Cor wildlife crossing on the oil sand fields just north of Fort McMurray, AB.

Today’s mine sites are designed with more environmentally-friendly features, such as protective wildlife crossings that help preserve habitat and migration patterns. Designing wildlife crossings is a science unto itself, as animals will not pass through the structures if the openness ratios are not right – and different species have different requirements.

These factors, along with the extreme live load requirements and a limited height of cover, made this one of our most challenging wildlife crossings to date.

Innovative solution with added strength
An Encased Concrete Rib Super•Cor Arch with a Concrete Relieving Slab was proposed to give the required strength for the heavy mining equipment while maintaining a wide-enough span to keep the wildlife moving.

Structure built in only 17 days
In this fast-paced environment, it took only 17 days to get the structure up — keeping the project on schedule and our furry friends moving along smoothly.

If you’re looking to get your next mining project (or the local wildlife) moving with ease, look to the AIL Mining team.

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